A Lesson in Blood
by Peony-princesa
Summary: Life has always been clear for Aloy; kill the bad to protect the good, and never hurt the ones you care about. Nil is anything but clear to her, and when their work together is complete, he shows her just how much she doesn't understand. Nil asks Aloy to fight him to the death and she agrees; things do not turn out how either of them expect.


Aloy had to admit that she wasn't surprised. She knew that Nil wasn't the kind of person to find satisfaction when his job was done; no, his thrill, his purpose was found at the moment when his blade released a life from its mortal coil. His whole life had become built around that exact feeling, and now that they stood facing each other, his proposal given, she knew that she hadn't really imagined another possible ending. She had valued his help at first, and had grown fond of it, and though the strangeness of having built a friendship around blood and death wasn't lost on her. she considered a world without him with a measured amount of sadness; life felt a little less safe at the prospect of not having him there to have her back in a fight. She respected Nil's desire to go out in the same fashion as he had lived, and felt that it was her duty as his friend to make sure that he went on his terms. It never occurred to her that she might lose the fight; she wasn't the one who couldn't find a way to function in a peaceful society. She'd simply grant his wish, and continue on the path she had been pursuing since before they had ever laid eyes on each other.

Nil held out his hand "Shake on it first?" Aloy nodded, doing her best to put on a brave smile and not let him know how much the idea of killing him upset her. They shook hands and then drew apart several paces, gazing at each other for a moment, neither taking the initiative just yet. "This is it, girl," he finally spoke "Watching the life leave your eyes will be the most beautiful thing I will ever witness. Alternatively, I don't believe I could think of a better way to meet my end." Aloy shook her head "I'll never understand what it's like to be you, Nil. I'm sorry it came to this, but I want you to know that I am proud of the work we've done together. Thank you." He smiled roguishly and saluted her with two fingers before drawing his blade and dropping into an offensive stance, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Following suit, Aloy drew her spear and set her jaw, determined to see this task through to the end.

Never being one to shy away from action, Nil was the first to strike, lunging at Aloy with an over-handed slash, aiming right at her heart; she quickly threw up the haft of her spear to block the blow, and countered with a jab of its blunt end at his ribs, which he deflected with a hastily dropped elbow. They broke contact, circling each other, Nil enjoying himself immensely and Aloy steeling herself and calculating her next move. He attacked again, this time with a fist aimed at her jaw; it proved to be a feint however, for when she lifted her spear to block the second blow, he followed it up with a lightning fast slash to her side. Crying out, she clutched a hand to her wound and fell back a few paces, feeling slightly shocked that he had drawn first blood. "Come on, girl," he called out "Don't start wilting now. We've spilled too much blood together, I know you aren't the kind to let sentiment make you weak." The wound was just what Aloy needed to truly take the fight seriously; he wasn't going to hold back, and if she wanted to live, she couldn't afford to either.

It was now Aloy's turn to take the offensive, her blood was up, and she was ready this time; snatching a rock from her bag, she hurled it at his face, taking advantage of his instinctual reaction to raise a hand to shield his eyes, following up with a flying kick to the chest and sideways slash of her spear. The rock had caught Nil off guard, but he rallied quickly, taking the kick and throwing himself backward to avoid the spear attack. He laughed loudly holding his arms out wide "Yes! This is how it should end, with the two of us tearing each other to pieces!" Not letting his exultation slow her down, Aloy rushed him again, this time landing her blow, sending the butt of her spear thudding into his jaw and knocking his headdress to the ground. Staggering back, Nil spit a mouthful of blood out on the ground before turning to her "You do enjoy this. You do tell yourself that you only kill when necessary, and it's true, but you take great joy in the blood you spill."

Nil's words hit Aloy like a uppercut; gritting her teeth, she attacked him with everything she had, feeling her fury boiling up inside her. Her emotions made her careless in her rage to attack him, and Aloy completely neglected her defense, allowing Nil to seize his opportunity. He let her rain her blows down on him, deflecting each of them until she had to take a breath, and he struck; kicking one of her legs out from under her, he brought her down to one knee and then knocked the wind out of her with a blow to her chest from the heel of his hand before cracked her over the head with the grip of his blade.

Aloy was only knocked out for a moment, but when she found her bearings, she was lying flat on her back with Nil straddling her hips, one of his hands gripping her shoulder tightly, while the other held his blade to her throat. Looking up at him, she felt more shock and annoyance than fear; it wasn't supposed to happen this way, _he_ was the one who wanted to die. Seeing that she was awake again, Nil smiled down at her with his still-bloody teeth "I see that we're both surprised at this turn of events, Nora, though I can't say I'm disappointed. I only wish I could go right after watching you." Aloy squirmed uncomfortably beneath him, unaccustomed to such physical closeness "Well, I'm happy to trade places if you really want to." she grumbled back "Go ahead. Do it. It's what we agreed on." she said, taking a deep breath and readying herself for whatever came next.

Nil's smile faded as he gazed into her eyes "You're right," he answered, his voice lowering in pitch and becoming soft and velvety "Alright, Aloy of the Nora, are you ready to part ways?" He brought the knife up above his head, still gripping her shoulder and plunged it downward. Squeezing her eyes shut at the last moment, Aloy waited for it to fall, for the steel to part her flesh and end her journey. Instead she felt a sudden stinging sensation across her sternum; with a gasp, her eyes flew open, and, looking down, she saw a thin red line where Nil's blade had touched down, grazing the skin and parting the cotton of the Oseram sparkworker undershirt she wore, the cloth opening, but not falling open so as to completely expose her. Her gaze flashed to his and found that he was still staring down at her, with something like awe "Nil! What-" she gasped out, still in shock "Oh Aloy," he half whispered "I don't want to kill you, I never did. I see that now."

The tone of his voice and the way he said it felt strange to Aloy; he he'd always had a unique way of speaking, and she could never be sure if he was being serious with her, but this was different. He was looking at her with an intensity that she'd never experienced from another person before that moment; it was hungry and longing, just like the look he got in his eye when they hadn't killed any bandits for a while. "Nil, I-" She began, but was silenced when he leaned forward, and with one swift motion, pinned her hands above her head and crushed his mouth against her own. Overcoming her surprise quickly, Aloy tried to squirm away from him, but he only held her down and kissed her harder; feeling a spark of rage ignite inside her, she leaned up and bit down hard on his lip, tasting his blood as it seeped into her mouth. Her actions seemed to have the opposite of her desired effect on him, and instead of jerking away, he only let out a deep moan, took one hand from restraining her and dug his fingers deep in her hair and the back of her neck.

When he finally came up for air, they remained like that: him leaning over her, holding her arms above her head, her laying on her back, staring into one another's eyes. Aloy shifted underneath him again "Nil, I don't understand, what do you want?" A corner of his mouth drew up slightly into the ghost of an amused smirk and he whispered in her ear "You don't know, girl? You can't tell? You've got people all across the land throwing themselves at your feet, and you really don't know what I want?" A hot flush spread across Aloy's cheeks, "That's not true," she finally said quietly "I help a lot of people and they're grateful. That's it." He settled his weight more firmly on her hips, shaking his head as he did so "Do you really believe that, little Nora girl? Sun King Avad offers you a 'place by his side' and it's all due to gratitude? I could tell you were unused to the ways of the world, but I didn't think you were that naive." She responded with an annoyed huff "I knew he meant as more than an advisor, but he was just lonely after losing Ersa. Once he took the time to think it over, he'd want me for nothing more than a friend."

Nil chuckled deep inside his chest and transferred the confines of her hands to a single one of his, so that he had the other free to bring down and tease at the edges of her shirt where he had cut it open, making Aloy's breath hitch when a finger lightly graze over the sensitive skin of her cleavage. "Is that what you want always? Just friends, nothing more?" He seemed to enjoy making her uncomfortable, she could tell by the way he let his weight sit more heavily on her every time she moved under him, that it was bringing him some kind of perverse pleasure to goad her so. "What do you mean, Nil? You never speak plainly. What else am I supposed to want?" He was still fraying the edges of her under shirt by rolling them between his fingers, and he took a moment to choose his words before replying "The needs of the spirit are all well and good, but what do you know of the pleasures of the flesh, girl?" Aloy frowned at him "I know how babies are made, if that's what you're asking. This is no time for that, just get it over with." Her patience was running thin with his games and she began to look around for ways to unseat him and put an end to it. His eyes widened, a delighted look dawning in them at her words "You aren't even aware of what your body is capable of, are you? How could I possibly kill you when you've never even experienced that small death of ecstasy? Today you learn, Aloy."

Taking her hands in each of his, Nil brought them down to rest on either side of her head, still keeping her immobilized, but in a more comfortable position. Leaning down, he nuzzled his face into her neck; starting with a kiss, he began to suck along her pulse point, abruptly eliciting a gasping cry from her throat with a sharp bite "There's not a soul to be found for miles, don't be afraid to use your voice, girl." She still wasn't sure what was happening, but her body seemed to be responding to his actions in a way that alarmed her; her breath was quickening, and a sheen of sweat had broken out on her brow and neck, not to mention a strange pressure that was building low in her belly. No longer sure that she wanted him to stop, Aloy also wasn't sure exactly how far he was going to take it, her knowledge of sexual relations being zero, as Rost never told her anything beyond basic reproduction, and that was only after having to be convinced that such knowledge was of vital importance.

Still intent on tasting her skin, Nil had made his way down Aloy's neck and over her chest, taking a minute to lick along the length of the wound he had just given her, savoring the taste of her blood as he did so, his own breath hot against her bare flesh. Without using his hands and risking an escape attempt, he took the edge of her torn undershirt in his teeth and pulled it to the side, tearing it the rest of the way open and growing softly in approval at the way her nipples were pebbled up "So you are feeling something," he chuckled before dropping his head and enclosing one of her breasts with his mouth, letting his tongue circle and flick over the nipple. Unused to so much stimulation, Aloy whimpered and arched her back, twisting her wrists in his grasp; she didn't understand these feelings, she'd touched her own breasts plenty of times and never felt anything like this, what was it about Nil's hands and mouth that had such an overwhelming effect on her?

Feeling her movements beneath him, Nil ground his hips down against hers "Mmm what do you feel girl? Do you feel it down here?" he asked, pausing only momentarily in his attentions to her breasts, to search her face for how it was affecting her "I think you can take more" and then leaning in again, this time sucking harder and giving her nipples little sharp bites. He was so engrossed in his task that he let one of her hands go and brought his own newly free hand down to knead at the breast he was currently neglecting. Not knowing what to do with her free hand, Aloy let it stay where he had left it, her panting breath coming faster now, making her feel like her body was building for something she wasn't aware of yet.

Reading her body language, and seeing how excited she was getting, Nil released her other hand and sat up, still straddling her, but no longer restraining her arms. Taking a quick intake of breath at the sudden lack of pressure, Aloy gathered her composure and gave him a small smile, feeling slightly lacking without his closeness. He placed a hand flat on her sternum and dragged it slowly downward and over her stomach toward her waistband, watching her face closely the whole time, gauging her every movement. She was taking it all in very well, until he got to her waistband and slipped his fingers underneath, beginning to draw them down her hips; Aloy got a sudden surge of panic at the idea of being so exposed and bare in front of him, no one had seen her naked before, at least no one who looked at her like Nil did, and she was overwhelmed with nervousness about it. Acting on a sudden impulse, she threw her hands out, connecting hard with his chest and throwing him back a bit; and leaping to her feet before whirling around and making as if to sprint off away from him.

Aloy barely made it five paces before she felt him seize her by her belt and haul her back, throwing her to the ground, twisting an arm behind her and placing a knee lightly on her back "Here we are again, girl. You are fearless in battle, never hesitate to put yourself in danger, and yet you turn tail and run when your body responds in a way you weren't expecting. Now what are we going to do with you?" She sighed in response, she hadn't meant to react the way she did, it had all just become too much, but she had to admit to herself that she hadn't actually wanted to stop him. Now, laying there with her face pressed into the grass, she decided to follow this through, whatever it was, and in doing so, conquer one more fear; a girl like her couldn't afford to have fears anyway "Well then," she said quietly "show me what I'm missing." She heard him hum approvingly and move his knee off her back so that he was once again straddling her, but he kept her arm where it was, not giving her another opportunity to bolt.

Pulling his sash from his waist, Nil tied it from the wrist he had pinned to her back, to her belt, effectively halving her useful limbs. Having both his hands free, then stripped the glove off one hand and gripped the crook of her neck with the other, before lifting her hips under him with his naked hand. Aloy stifled the panic that again welled in her throat, breathing deeply as she felt his hand slide around to her stomach and delve downward once again, making her skin pucker in goose flesh as he went. This time, he merely unfastened the front of her breeches, and, not bothering to pull them down her hips, slipped his hand inside and laid it over her sex. He waited a moment, allowing her to steady herself before passing a finger through the lips of her pussy to test its wetness before sliding it over her clit and into her wet heat. Aloy groaned at the foreign intrusion and bucked her hips slightly, not knowing what to do with these brand new feelings her body was experiencing. Nil's breath was quickening, too, as he rolled his finger over that sensitive bud of flesh that was now making Aloy fall apart at the seams; leaning forward, he brought his chest flush with her back, moving the hand that rested on her shoulder up to around her neck, giving it a light squeeze and appreciating the way her vein pulsed in response to every touch. As he leaned into her, Aloy vaguely realized that she felt something hard pressing against her ass, though she didn't stop to consider what it might be, all she could do was twist her fingers into the grass, trying to find anything to ground her.

Wanting to taste her again, Nil bit into her earlobe, worrying at it until she cried out, both from the pain and the movements of his hand; the way she was writhing underneath him told him that her time was fast approaching, and, with a cruel chuckle, he yanked his hand out of her breeches, ending all stimulation and pulling a frustrated sob from Aloy. Pushing himself up from her back, he looked at her for a moment, taking in the site of her before getting up on his knees and flipping her over onto her back. "Well, girl? What do you think so far?" She was still panting, a look of distraught confusion played across her face "Why did you stop?" she gasped out "Something, something was going to happen, I felt it." He smirked down at her "You ran away the first time I tried. Gotta make sure that you want to continue." Aloy let her head fall back on the ground, she knew he wasn't stopping for her benefit; he wanted her remind her that he was in charge, and responsible for her pleasure, and to punish her for running away from him.

At that point she didn't care what his motivations were, she only cared about chasing that feeling that had roared up inside her, and was now ebbing away from the lack of friction. Knowing she would be furious with herself for it later, she reached out her free hand to him "I don't care what I said or did before," her voice trembled slightly "Just keep going." Clenching his teeth together in a predatory smile, Nil began shedding his armored gauntlets, and then his vest before turning his attention to Aloy's breeches, this time being successful in dragging them down over her hips and discarding them to the side. He remained there looking at her, all vulnerable and exposed for a moment, taking in every inch of her bare flesh with hungry eyes, knowing that he would be sated eventually, and wanting to drag it out for as long as possible. When he finally moved again, it was to unfasten his own leathers and free his straining cock from its confines; he kept it well hidden, but he was also eager to continue this rendezvous, perhaps even more than Aloy, though she would never guess it.

While this was going on, it finally dawned on Aloy, as she lay there gazing at Nil's naked body as he stood there above her, that this was his penis and it would soon be entering her own body. The thought gave her brief anxiety as she considered how it felt to have just his finger inside her moments before, and how much larger his cock was. She also remembered how good it felt when his finger stroked deeply inside of her, and wondered if this would be even better. With all those thoughts flying through her head, Aloy subconsciously let her legs fall open, an action that Nil quickly took advantage of, gripping them behind her knees and drawing them up around his waist. He went in slowly at first, gripping his cock in one hand and steadying her hips with the other while he slid the head through her arousal, reproducing the sensations he had earlier with his fingers, and making a tense Aloy sink back down into the grass, little whimpers scattered among her heavy breaths.

When he had enough of teasing her, Nil placed his still-gloved hand on her neck, sliding his thumb across her lips and between her teeth, letting it rest on her tongue; he gave no further warning beyond "This is the rough part, girl." before plunging his cock into her. Aloy winced, crying out and squeezing her legs tightly around him as he breached her, screwing her eyes shut and biting down hard on the digit inserted into her mouth. He let out a guttural moan, feeling the tightness of her pussy clenching around him and hardly noticing that she had bitten down on his thumb so hard that blood now seeped around where it disappeared into her mouth. Once they had both caught their breath, Nil began moving in and out of her, slowly at first, but as her cries became less and less, he picked up his speed. Aloy soon grew used to the feeling of being stretched, and her arousal at the whole thing made it easier and easier for her to take his aggressive thrusts, eventually taking pleasure at the way his cock stroked her inner walls. She began to moan softly herself with each of his movements, and was soon sucking wantonly on the thumb that was still pressed into her mouth. The sight and sound of her made Nil double his efforts, and the air around them was soon echoing with the sounds of skin slapping wetly against skin, as well as their mutual animalistic noises.

Aloy fast became used to the rhythm Nil set, and began to lift her hips to meet his with every one of his wild thrusts; Nil, seeing that she was getting the hang of their movement, moved suddenly, rolling swiftly to the side until he was positioned under her, his hands know gripping her hips like vices and pulling her down tightly onto himself. Seeing the shocked look on her face, he grinned "You know what you're doing now. Take the reins, girl." Dismayed, Aloy began hesitantly rolling her hips, shallowly at first, but quickly found that she could handle the deep penetration, and was soon undulating her hips like one possessed, Nil thrusting up into her in perfect synch. He would occasionally reach up and grip one of her breasts, kneading it hard and pinching its nipple, relishing the sounds she made when he did so; he would even swipe his finger through the slash wound on her side that he had given her during their fight, bringing it to his mouth and licking the blood off and tasting the salty metallic essence while looking her dead in the eye. Aloy knew she shouldn't find such actions appealing, but she felt her pussy clench every time he did it.

It wasn't long before they were both panting frantically, racing towards mutual destruction; Nil, deciding he wanted to witness every second of Aloy's "small death", flipped them once again, propping himself up on his elbows on either side of her head, and then reaching down between them, once again rolling his finger over her clit, watching in fascination as her eyes rolled back in her head and a last cry escaped her throat. It sent him hurtling over his own peak, and he pulled himself from her gushing entrance, spilling his own release all over her breasts and stomach with a last growl before collapsing on the grass next to her.

After what felt like hours, Aloy finally sat up and went about wiping herself clean with several handfuls of grass before turning to the man laying next to her "So, what happens now? You try to kill me again?" Nil passed a hand over his eyes, before rolling to face her "Yes. We may part ways now, Aloy, but I will find you again, and kill you. Over and over and over again."


End file.
